NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: STATEN ISLAND UP CLOSE

By JEFF VANDAM

Published: June 27, 2004

Call it the Tompkinsville Switch.

On the Staten Island Railway, the borough's lone train line, the neighborhood of Tompkinsville is home to the last station before the stop at the St. George ferry terminal. Everyday, ferry-bound commuters get off at Tompkinsville and walk 10 minutes to the boat. But it's not for exercise. It's to avoid paying the $2 fare.

The loophole, a perfectly legal one, has been open since MetroCards were introduced in 1997. Before that, conductors on this 12-mile, 22-station line walked through each train and collected fares, but now the only place to pay is at St. George, the ferry stop.

Today, when trains stop at Tompkinsville, some riders exit and cross an overpass to Bay Street, where a short stroll brings them right to the ferry that nearly all the commuters on the railway take. The route, a pleasant one, leads walkers past Cargo, a popular North Shore bar and cafe, and offers views of faraway downtown Manhattan.

''You just walk up there right through the terminal,'' said James, 15, who was one of several dozen commuters walking to the ferry from Tompkinsville one recent morning. When asked if skirting the fare was a common tactic, he gave a sly smile. ''I know me and my friends do it,'' he said.

Commuters who use this approach both coming and going can save about $80 a month. New York City Transit is looking for ways to solve the problem, but officials concede it would be a hard loophole to plug. ''If people want to get off and walk, there's nothing to prevent them from doing that,'' said Deirdre Parker, a spokeswoman. Ms. Parker estimated that 20 percent of the roughly 12,000 people who take the line on the average weekday get off at Tompkinsville.

The transit agency does have one weapon against the fare avoiders -- express trains that often skip Tompkinsville. Nevertheless, last week some particularly thrifty riders stuck on an express to St. George actually turned around and boarded a return train one stop to Tompkinsville, where they proceeded to get out and walk back to St. George.

One man, who refused to give his name, was even more creative. He got off at Tompkinsville and unfolded a motorized scooter that he had lugged along for the ride. After marching up the stairs, he kicked the scooter into gear and motored down Bay Street, saving himself $2 and the exercise of walking to the ferry. JEFF VANDAM

Photo: On the Staten Island Railway, using shoe leather to save on train fare. (Photo by Mary DiBiase Blaich for The New York Times)